CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – In a highly anticipated in-state rivalry, the Campbellsville Tigers hosted the Georgetown Tigers in front of a packed Gosser Gymnasium. Despite an electric performance and tremendous effort, Campbellsville fell in a five-set thriller, 3-2.

The opening set saw Campbellsville ignite quickly with a mighty swing from Ayoube Hamadache, followed by a statement stuff block from Pedro Zavatini and John Marcos Gonzalez. A four-point scoring run gave Campbellsville early control, though Georgetown responded to tie things at 7. A one-handed block by Gonzalez sent the crowd into a frenzy and helped build momentum. Georgetown was forced to call a timeout with Campbellsville up 16-12, but the home Tigers held firm, closing out the set 25-21.

Set two began with back-to-back kills from Hamadache and strong offensive execution, as Campbellsville hit an impressive .875 early. The teams traded points until Georgetown combined a service run to knot things at 10. A kill from McKinney kept Campbellsville close, but Georgetown capitalized on errors and forced two Tiger timeouts late in the set. Georgetown tied the match with a 25-20 second-set win.

Campbellsville opened set three with a kill from McKinney and displayed grit with a remarkable defensive effort from Andrew Ovalle, who dug four consecutive balls in a single rally. The Tigers ran the middle effectively, with McKinney collecting back-to-back kills. Denzel Madrigal sparked momentum off the bench late in the set, but Georgetown reached 20 first and forced a Campbellsville timeout. Costly errors allowed Georgetown to pull away, and Campbellsville dropped the third 25-19.

With their backs against the wall, the Tigers fought hard in the fourth. Ovalle continued to lead defensively and even added an ace. Zavatini passed perfectly in serve receive and then converted it into a kill to tie the set at 7. Hamadache added a big stuff block as Campbellsville took control and forced Georgetown to use two timeouts. Up three late, the Tigers powered through to win 25-19 and send the match to a decisive fifth set.

The final set began with drama as both teams were issued red cards, starting the set 1-1. Campbellsville jumped out early after a solid pass from Ovalle and a kill by Zavatini. Gonzalez and McKinney added a stuff block to keep the momentum alive. At the switch, Georgetown took a slight lead. Tied at 9, Campbellsville took a timeout and inserted Oluwatesie Adebayo, who delivered a clutch kill. Trailing 13-11, the Tigers took one final timeout, and Guthrie Hite responded with a slide to bring them within one. Despite the push, Campbellsville dropped the fifth set 15-13 in a hard-fought loss.

The Tigers return to action this Saturday, April 12, as they host the Phoenix of Cumberland University in another key River States Conference matchup at 3 p.m. EST.

• Alonzo Vega dished out 47 assists, adding six digs and one block.
• Ovalle led the defense with 15 digs and served up two aces.